I’m highlighting an issue I am having with the still images from my Mini 4 pro. The drone produces a dng raw file and a jpg. The quality of each image is markedly different and I am wondering why. Perhaps someone can explain?
The dng file is soft, dull, with uneven exposure, a blue hue and a halo effect, making it very difficult to edit in post. The jpg by contrast, is sharp, with good contrast, brightness and evenly exposed with no colour cast, requiring little or no post work.
Any advice would be very welcome.
2 Likes
The raw image is just that, a raw unprocessed image as the sensor sees it. Whereas the jpg will have had some “in camera processing”, such as sharpening, vivid colour rendition .etc & then compressed.
Most photographers prefer to shoot raw and do their own image adjustment s rather than relying on the cameras automatic processing.
6 Likes
Absolutely! I always shoot in RAW. I removed the JPEG option as it just takes up needless room on your SD card.
2 Likes
Which RAW converter are you using?
The result you get will vary by converter. You should check that the converter which you are using has a profile for the Mini 4 otherwise it has no way of knowing what colour/density to render for each pixel.
I use Lightroom with my Mini 2 and using the Adobe profiles (which depend on the RAW file source) works well.
1 Like
I like to shoot in jpg+Raw. The jpgs are great for instant snap shots like the ones posted the other day from Fairhaven which were strait out of camera. But for serious stuff I use Raw processed in Lightroom ( until recently Lr5 now LrC).
1 Like
I do everything in RAW, even for Insta etc.
2 Likes
Thank you, one and all for your replies. I have now discovered what is causing the vignetting, uneven exposure and poor colour edition as a DNG raw file. In Affinity 2 there are 2 settings for converting raw files, namely Serif Labs and Apple Core. I changed the converter to Apple Core, as I use a Mac, and the raw file has now rendered as I would expect and only required the little post work I would expect. I used to use Photoshop’s Adobe raw file converter, so I wasn’t aware of this version in Affinity 2.
For anyone requiring this information in Affinity 2; Go to settings, Assistant, Develop Assistant settings and this will open a pane where the Raw settings etc are found.
1 Like
Affinity 2 doesn’t have a specific converter for the 4 Pro, but does for Mac users as I have now discovered. Your comment prompted me to check it! Many thanks
1 Like
A possible workaround would be to use the Adobe DNG Converter which is free and allegedly supports the Mini 4 Pro. Point it at a folder of Mini 4 DNG files and it will convert them to another DNG which I am hoping will have a colour profile which affinity understands.
I used it on my Mini 2 files and the result was the same in Photoshop and Affinity Photo 2. The Mini 2 is supported by Affinity Photo so that may not prove anything.
I’ve downloaded the latest .DNG converter from Adobe (17.1), but it doesn’t recognise any files.
Am I missing something?
Isn’t the low res jpg image useful for previewing on the RC screen? Or have I got that wrong?
That’s a separate SD card for your controller. I’m talking about the SD card inserted into your drone.
Hmmm I think I need to check my settings. So much to learn! Is there a separate setting for the sd card in the controller? I can’t find anything about this.
Forget about the SD card in your controller. All I was originally saying was I have a personal preference to capture all my images in RAW only when taking stills with my drone.
You can choose to capture JPEG - RAW or JPEG + RAW.
1 Like
